My Journey

"Education will change your life." – Dr. Roberto Benejam.

A line I often heard one of my attendings say during our encounters with our patients in the pediatric clinic was rotating at as a medical student. As simple as that saying was, it really made me think about how fortunate I was growing up, having access to public school systems, warm meals, and a roof over my head when I came home every night. Although I knew to a certain extent that not everyone had access to such luxury, I did not realize how many were not able to access basic education. Being a physician and taking the oath to always advocate for my patients is where a lot of my passion began to give back. I service patients from the underserved populations every day. The parents express their frustration at how much they are unable to provide for their families. It is easy to be just a listener but being in a profession which advocates for both physical and mental health, it is important to be proactive in putting in effort to give your patients all the resources possible. For kids, we are aware that there are schools which are providing warm meals as sometimes it may be the only meal the children have access to in the day. This should never be the case currently when there are almost unlimited resources and organizations striving to end such devastation.

I believe that every individual currently should have access to essentials – food and education being two of the most important ones. In efforts of such, Vidya Network was born thanks to a few brilliant minds. I am proud to be a part of a ripple that will cause a wave one day. With this organization, we can truly make difference in the way we provide education to those in need. Education can give not only financial stability to our future generations but will contribute to eradicating illiteracy as well as eventually helping with further eradicating poverty. Education will furthermore decrease crime and drug abuse. The extra mile we as professionals will take to give back, will contribute to a safe and bright future for our loved ones. We should live in a world where every child has the same opportunities and never a “survival of the fittest.” Let us make a difference together as power are in numbers.